Stroke is a debilitating condition described as loss of cerebral function, with symptoms lasting 24 hours or longer or leading to death. Stroke involving the middle cerebral arteries confers significant mortality and morbidity due to irreversible neuronal damage. In 2015, World Health Organization (WHO) reported that stroke has claimed 6.7 million deaths globally and is one of the main cause of disability in adults.
Various treatment methods have been developed in the past for treatment of acute stroke. Conventionally, one of the common ways of managing acute stroke is carried out by means of thrombolytic therapy. However, studies seem to suggest that thrombolytic therapy had not garnered much success on significantly improving overall health for patients afflicted by acute stroke.
In light of the above, alternative ways for treating acute stroke which are safer, non-invasive and clinically effective became focus of investigation for medical experts. Studies on mesenchymal stem cells, also known as mesenchymal stromal cells, have generated a lot of interest among researchers and clinicians due to its attributes which include ability of differentiating into neuron-like cells and immunomodulatory properties. Mesenchymal stem cells may also help attenuate cerebral oedema and hasten recovery following acute stroke. Furthermore, blood-brain barrier is semi-permeable in the acute stroke period which allows mesenchymal stem cells to be administered intravenously. Kurozumi et al. reported that mesenchymal stem cells transplantation is able to ameliorate stroke in rat models.
However, studies and research publications on treating acute stroke using cell-based methods in humans appears to be lacking. Accordingly, there remains a need for a novel cell-based composition which is clinically safe and therapeutically effective for the treatment of acute stroke in humans.